


Curious Beginnings

by a0q3e



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Childhood Friends, F/F, Slow Burn, beau's pov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2020-06-09 22:33:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19485361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a0q3e/pseuds/a0q3e
Summary: Basically, Jester and Beau met when they were younger and were each other's first crushes... anyway, they meet again basically the same way they did in canon: a day before they (plus Fjord) meet the Mighty Nein, and it's the same but now there is history between Jester and Beau.





	1. Chapter 1

Beau was around twelve years old when her father was invited to visit his rich friend, Enzo, in Nicodranas. Although the invitation hadn't been extended to Beau and her mother, her father insisted that they accompany him. Beau figured it was another attempt to force her to behave by taking her away from home, and she’d gotten into a screaming match with her father over it., but she eventually caved when she saw how disappointed her mother was. 

Now, she was sitting in her room in a house that wasn’t hers, in clothes that were too stiff as her mother was trying to wrestle with the rat’s nest that was Beau’s hair.

“Please, Beauregard,” her mother said. “Sit still just this once. If you can do that, it will be over sooner.”

Beau grumbled but obliged. She gritted her teeth each time the brush snagged a knot in her thick hair, but she remained still.

When it was finally over, her hair fell in long lengths over her shoulders and down her back. Looking in the mirror, it was as if she were looking at someone else entirely. The girl in the mirror was, well, the girl she was supposed to be. She was muted, tamed, proper. She was everything Beau wasn’t and it was infuriating.

“You look beautiful, sweetie,” her mother complimented, cutting through Beau’s train of thought.

“Whatever,” she replied, standing up from her chair. “It’s only for one night.”

Her mother sighed.

Beau felt like complaining some more, but she held her tongue.

* * *

Dinner that night was boring, and Beau felt self-conscious the whole time. Her clothes felt like they didn’t fit right and her hair kept getting in her way. She’d been silent for most of it, only answering when asked a direct question, and even then, she could feel her father’s harsh glare on her as she tried to find the right words. Over desert, her parents and Enzo talked about politics, her father’s business, and other things she didn’t quite understand yet. Beau drew pictures with her food and picked her nails until her mother nudged her to stop.

“You know,” Enzo said, “You all should really come to the coast more often. I bet it gets claustrophobic being in Kamordah all year.”

Her father chuckled. “When you have as much work as I do, there isn’t time to think about much else.”

“Oh come on, you can’t be _that_ busy.”

“You’d be surprised, Enzo. Wine is a very tough business and it demands a lot of time, added onto the fact that I’ve gotta raise that one,” her father said, nodding at Beau. “We could barely make it out here for the weekend.”

Beau looked up at the mention of her.

Enzo shook his head. At least let me take you on a quick tour of what I would say is the ‘Best of Nicodranas’. You really gotta see the sights, especially if you’re not gonna make it back in this lifetime.”

Beau’s father looked at Beau and her mother. “A quick tour. As long as we’re back by Beauregard’s bedtime.”

Enzo clapped his hands. “Excellent. Let’s start tonight. There are some incredible things I can show you even after the sun goes down.”

Servants entered the dining hall and began clearing the table. Beau wondered how special any place could be after sunset. Kamordah definitely wasn’t that great.

* * *

After freshening up, Enzo, her father, and she met at the entrance of the house; her mother had chosen to stay behind and go to bed early. The three of them departed, walking towards the center of the city. Beau trailed a few paces behind the men, vaguely listening but mostly fascinated by how different people dressed. As they walked, Enzo told her father about the trade that went on in the city, he complained about the taxes, and then he began pointing out some buildings. Though Beau was not paying full attention, the lowering of Enzo’s voice made her ears perk up.

“Probably shouldn’t even be telling you this…” he whispered to her father. “Especially when you have the kid with you… but there’s this incredible place, it’s called the Lavish Chateau. I wouldn’t even be surprised if you Empire folk have heard of it.”  
  
Her father thought for a moment before shaking his head.

“Well there’s this woman,” he continued. “She’s known as the Ruby of the Sea. I’m telling you, man, she’s a dream.”

“She’s a performer?” Her father asked.

“That and more.”

Her father peered back at Beau who tried to look disinterested. He then whispered even softer in his friend’s ear and Beau couldn’t hear, even though she was strained to. They kept walking and Enzo continued to point out things around the city but Beau had lost all interest. She had her mind on one thing: the Lavish Chateau. She’d have to come up with a plan to get there, knowing the adults were trying to keep her from knowing about, but she was motivated.  
She plotted as they made their way through the city, eventually passing back through the same way they came. As they did, Beau noticed a beautiful, blue, intricately designed inn with a sign out front that read the Lavish Chateau. Beau made sure to note where it was in relation to its surroundings so she could find it later. Eventually, they reached the house and everyone said goodnight. Beau and her father headed upstairs to the guest bedrooms, but before Beau entered hers, her father cleared his throat behind her.

“You did… mostly well tonight, Beauregard,” he said.

Beau didn’t make eye contact. 

“If you could just behave that way more often, we wouldn’t have so many problems now, would we?”

Beau could feel the anger beginning to rise within her and she clenched her fists, feeling her nails fig into her palms.

“I didn’t do it for you,” she spat.

Her father sighed and Beau heard his footsteps retreat down the hallway towards his room. She waited until she heard him enter and close the door. She felt the tension leave her body and she entered her own room.

* * *

Once inside, she made quick work of changing out of her uncomfortable, formal clothing into something loose that would hopefully allow her to go about unnoticed. She also tied her hair up into a messy bun and grabbed a cloak to help hide her face. As quietly as she could, she opened her bedroom door and slipped through, her eyes darting between where she was stepping and the door to her parent’s room.

At the bottom of the steps, she glanced around for Enzo or any of his servants. When she heard no signs of anyone else, she headed quickly for the front door. Although she made it there with no trouble, looking at the heavy wooden and metal door, she realized she may have chosen the wrong way to exit the building. The low light made it difficult to see what kind of lock was on the door, but she had the sense that unlocking it would certainly bring unwanted attention. Not wanting to spend time on the door, she tiptoed towards the den where she could hopefully make her escape through a window. She paused again to listen for anyone wandering in her direction and then proceeded when she heard nothing. 

The first window she reached was much less complicated than the door and she slowly pushed it open. It was nearly there when it made a high-pitched squeak. Beau gave up on being stealthy and jumped through. Her litheness allowed her to slip through easily but her clumsiness caused her foot to kick the window at the last second. Beau forced herself onto her feet and then ran, fighting the impulse to look back.

* * *

Beau slowed down once she reached the edge of the city proper. Though there were lights lining the road that allowed her to see, she stuck as close to the shadows as possible. Now that it was nighttime, there seemed to be a few more guards walking around—zolezzo—as Enzo had called them. She straightened her back and tried to walk a little more confidently, hoping she would look like she belonged. 

Finally, she reached the Lavish Chateau. It seemed to be closing as several people were exiting. Beau noticed that the people exiting were dressed fancily, but not in the way she had been dressed earlier that night, no, these people were dressed as if they always dressed in clothing that ornate. That fact only made Beau more curious. When nobody else seemed to be exiting the building, Beau crept closer. She soon found herself creeping around the side of the building and then standing on her tippy toes to get a better look inside. 

The Chateau had not closed, Beau found out. Several people, dressed as ornately as the ones she’d seen before, occupied the tables inside. She could also see two bars and a set of stairs. The ambiance of the room seemed cozy. Although she couldn’t hear the conversation, she could tell from the body language that the people dining there were excited about something. 

Beau was getting a little wobbly, standing on her tippy toes for so long, and she was getting ready to leave before the lights in the room darkened and everyone promptly stopped talking. She looked where they looked, in the direction of the stairs, and watched as a scantily-clad, red-skinned tiefling descended. She was beautiful. She was _more_ than beautiful, but Beau felt her mind scramble a little, her jaw, dropping slightly. 

The woman began to perform and Beau realized why the crowd of people, why her Enzo, had been excited about this place. Then Beau felt an impact in her side and she was falling.

Beau felt the wind get knocked out of her and as she tried to adjust her eyes, she felt a body sit on top of her, keeping her from standing up.

“Who the heck are you?” A voice questioned with a thick accent she’d never heard before.

“I don’t have to tell you that,” Beau shot back. “Get off of me!”

“No!” The voice insisted. “You’re trying to watch my momma and you didn’t pay to see her.”

“I don’t care. Now, get off!”

The body remained in place and as Beau’s vision slowly came into focus, she could see another tiefling, a young tiefling girl with blue skin and blue hair. 

“Well I’m not leaving until you tell me who you are,” the girl said.

Beau made a _hmph_ sound, but she refused to concede. She wasn’t going to tell this crazy girl anything. 

“You’re not going to say anything? Okay, well then I am just going to sit here.”

“Fine,” Beau mumbled.

“Fine,” the girl mumbled back.

A few seconds passed and instead of feeling proud of herself for holding her ground, Beau felt increasingly self-conscious about the fact that this girl was just sitting on top of her in an alley. She was glad for the darkness of the alley because she could feel the heat rising in her ears.

“Aw man, I can’t do this forever,” the girl whined. She then stood up and extended her hand to Beau. “My name is Jester. I’m sorry for tackling you.”

Beau accepted, allowing Jester to pull her to her feet (surprised that she was much stronger than she expected). 

“Name’s Beauregard. My friends call me Beau.”

Jester grinned at her. “Well, _Beau_ , since you didn’t pay to watch my momma perform, you want to pay me back by hanging out for a little while?”

Beau didn’t know what to say. She had just been tackled by this girl and now she was asking to hang out? Absolutely insane. Beau also had a nagging thought in the back of her head that her parents might have found out she had run away and were getting worried.

“It will be soooo fun,” Jester said. “We could do some crazy things!”

For some reason, Beau heard the voice of her father’s Enzo in her head saying they may never make it back to Nicodranas. She had nothing to lose if they were never coming back.

“You know what? Let’s do something crazy,” Beau agreed.

Jester squealed and then grabbed her hand. “I knew you would say that. Come on.”

The little blue tiefling pulled her out into the streets and the two began to head towards the ocean. Although Beau tried to fight it, a smile crossed her face for the very first time in all the hours she’d been in the city. It was all due to the sincere excitement of this strange girl.

* * *

The beach was mostly empty save for a few people who looked a little older than they were. They were a ways down though so Jester and Beau practically had the beach to themselves. Instead of heading for the waves as Beau had anticipated, Jester pulled Beau towards the small sand dunes instead. 

“Look for a stick,” Jester instructed. “Something big enough and strong enough to write with in the sand.”

“Okay…” Beau responded, trying to follow the direction.

Being further from the city's lights, it was practically impossible for Beau to see. The only light was from the two moons, but it was a mildly cloudy night. Thankfully, she could tell where Jester was because she was humming as she wandered nearby.

“Ah! Beau! I found some,” Jester yelled after a few seconds. “Come here!”

Beau made her way over and Jester handed her a small stick.

“Now is the fun part. I’ll go first, then you can see exactly what we’re going for okay?”

Beau nodded.

Jester then got to work. She moved away from Beau until she was about equidistant from the shore and the dunes. Then, she reached down, placing her stick in the ground, and began to walk, holding the stick to the ground so it began to create a long groove in the sand. Beau watched as she moved, unable to make out what she was drawing due to both the size and the lack of light. She was curious nonetheless. Eventually, as Jester continued her drawing, the shape became evident.

“Jester, is that what I think—”

“It’s a penis!” Jester shrieked with glee. “Now it’s your turn!”

Beau felt herself holding back but she pushed through it. The time for restraint was gone. She was going to draw a giant penis on the beach in Nicodranas.  
  
“Okay!” Beau yelled back. “But you can’t look until I’m done!”

Beau could barely see Jester, but she saw the girl turn away. With very little confidence in her art skills, and an odd, newfound confidence instilled in her by this stranger, Beau got to work. She tried to draw in smooth curves as Jester had, but she stumbled over her own feet as she walked. It took her a little longer than it had taken Jester, and she peered up every so often to make sure the other girl was still there, but eventually, her drawing of a penis was complete.

“You can turn around now, Jester!”

Jester turned around, excitedly looking at Beau’s drawing. Before she could even get any words out, she burst out laughing. 

Beau felt embarrassed and a little angry at herself. “I tried my best,” Beau muttered.

Jester quickly stifled her laughter. “No, no. I’m sorry for laughing, Beau. Please don’t feel bad about your work.” She walked up to Beau’s side and wrapped an arm around Beau’s shoulder.

Beau recoiled.

“I didn’t mean to laugh, Beau, honestly,” Jester continued. “You drew a very beautiful dick. I just really enjoyed the artistic liberties you took. Please don’t be sad.”

The tenderness of Jester’s voice made it impossible to resist making eye contact with her, and when she did, Beau felt herself cave.

“It’s okay,” Beau said. “I just wish mine could look as good as yours.”

Jester flashed her a grin. “Well… it isn’t really fair. I draw dicks all the time—on the beach, in my sketchbook, sometimes even on the wall by my bed. I bet I just have more practice than you, that’s all.”

“Maybe you’re right. Maybe I just need a little bit of practice.”

Jester abruptly sat down, pulling Beau down with her. “Right now, let’s do it. I can teach you the perfect dick-drawing method.”

“The perfect dick-drawing method? Is there such a thing?”

“There is now,” Jester said, her voice entirely serious.

Beau felt a full-body laugh ripple through her and soon she was laughing so hard she fell backward in the warm sand. “The—the way that you—” Beau managed between giggles. “The way that you—you said that. S—so serious.”

Jester burst into a fit of giggles too.

They both laid there, cackling to the point of tears, and barely able to breathe. When it finally let up, Beau sighed contently.

“Thank you for offering Jester, but maybe for another day.”

“Anytime, Beau.”

A few moments of silence passed between the two, not awkward, just silent save for the sound of the waves washing up against the shore and receding.

“You’re not actually going to be around though, are you?” Jester asked, a hint of sadness in her voice.

“No, no I’m not.”

Beau felt Jester’s hand grab hers.

“When do you leave?”

“Tomorrow afternoon.”

Another beat of silence passed.

“You could always just stay here. My momma would love you,” Jester whispered.

“I could… but I can’t,” Beau whispered back. She thought back to all the times she had contemplated running away for good, and with them, all the times she chickened out. Even for her new friend, she wasn’t brave enough.

“Who will I draw dicks in the sand with? I only have one other friend I could do that with but he isn’t always around.”

Beau sighed. “I don’t know, Jester. I’m sorry.”

She heard Jester turn to face her.

“Beau, promise me something.”

Beau turned on her side as Jester did. “Promise you what?”

“Promise me that you won’t forget me and that you’ll visit me as soon as you can.”

In her mind, Beau knew that keeping the latter half of that promise was nearly impossible. The fact that she was even in Nicodranas at all was still being processed in her mind. As she looked at Jester though, she felt that thought blur.

“I promise,” Beau said, the words feeling wrong the moment they left her lips.

Jester gave her a small smile and laid back on the sand.

Beau didn’t want to ruin the moment but she knew that if she didn’t speak up, she would stay there forever.

“Jester, I have to sneak back in before the morning.”

The other girl sighed and sat back up. “It’s barely past midnight. We have at least a few more hours.” 

Beau thought on it. “Before the sun comes up.”

“Deal.”

* * *

They lied there together for a few more hours. Jester explained her mother’s performances and about how her dad wasn’t really in the picture at all. Beau reluctantly told Jester about her overbearing father and her mother who never seemed to be able to stand up for her. They talked about the differences between their two hometowns, about the Traveler, and about Beau’s father’s wine business. Eventually, Beau started getting nervous about the time.

“Jester…”

“I know, Beau. Don’t say it.”

Beau stood and pulled Jester to her feet and the two walked slowly and quietly back in the direction of the Chateau. As they were walking, Beau took one last glance at the giant dicks in the sand, hoping to etch it into her memory.

Thankfully, the zolezzo left them alone, and they made it back to Jester’s home with no issue. A man stood at the entrance that hadn’t been there earlier seemed to recognize Jester and she pressed her hands together in a _please_ signal as if she were asking for him to not make a scene. He seemed reluctant but he stayed where he was, vigilant, but at a distance.

“This is where we say goodbye, I guess,” Beau said.

“ _No_ , this is where we say ‘I’ll see you again, soon,’ right?”

Beau smiled. It had only been a few hours with this girl but somehow it felt like she was parting with a lifelong friend.

“I’ll see you soon, Jester.”

“Not if I see you first, Beau.”

Jester pulled her into a tight hug and although she wasn’t used to hugs, Beau wrapped her lanky arms around the (again, surprisingly strong) tiefling girl.

“I’ll miss you,” Jester whispered in her ear. 

“Me too,” Beau whispered back.

When they finally broke the embrace, Beau could swear she saw tears in Jester’s eyes before she quickly blinked them away. Then, Jester gave Beau a quick peck on the lips and darted towards the entrance of the Lavish Chateau before Beau had the chance to react.

The man at the door gave an awkward nod to Beau and then followed Jester inside, closing the double doors. She watched as the lights on the bottom floor dimmed and then darkened, and Beau finally forced herself to walk back to the house.

* * *

She didn’t know what she had been expecting, perhaps both hoping for and dreading that her parents were awake and looking for her. The window was still open when she arrived and as she listened, she heard no voices or movement. Her instincts told her not to sneak into the same window but her tiredness overruled them. 

To her fortune and mild disappointment, nobody was waiting for her. There was no worried mother, no angry father, no sign at all that anyone had noticed she’d been gone. She felt that familiar anger return, not the one born of fury, but of sadness. She shook her head. She wasn’t going to be angry yet. Not when she had only just said goodbye to Jester a few minutes ago.

Silently, Beau snuck back into her room, not bothering to check around corners or listen for footsteps. It didn’t matter though. She made it back to her room without a hitch and she changed out of her sandy clothing, slipped into the bed, and fell asleep with a certain blue tiefling on her mind.


	2. Chapter 2

Beau was around twenty-four years old when she found herself on the run from a home that was never quite hers. She had found some semblance of a new life with the monks of the Cobalt Soul—not that many of the lessons of this new life had really stuck—but it was a place that felt slightly more forgiving than the house she had grown up in. Now, she was on her third day of travel along the Amber Road towards a destination yet to be decided, and even though she was weary, her legs kept walking. 

It was early morning and Beau was hoping to reach the town of Trostenwald in the next few days; at the pace she was going, she couldn’t be sure when she’d arrive. As she walked, she noticed two figures up ahead by about seventy yards. They’d been traveling ahead of her for a while but they’d been dots in the distance. She wondered whether they’d be stopping in Trostenwald too.

As the hours passed, Beau very slowly gained ground on them, hoping not to get too close that she drew their attention. Even from a distance, she could make out a tiefling woman and a man beside her—she wasn’t sure of his race from where she was, but she assumed he was a half-orc given his green complexion.

Watching them, she made up stories in her head about where they were traveling from, where they were going, and how they knew each other. Beau found it curious, a tiefling and a half-orc walking together through the Empire. It wasn’t uncommon, but they definitely stood out. 

By midafternoon, they finally came to a stop and Beau stopped too. She ate some leftover bacon from the last time she’d had a real meal and continued to watch the two ahead of her. As she did, her mind continued to wander, drifting to somewhere she hadn’t thought of in a long time: a quiet beach in a foreign city with a little blue tiefling. Beau chewed so hard on the bacon she bit into her lip, pulling her mind away from the memory. She wasn’t a child anymore. 

Eventually, the two finished eating and they stood to leave. That’s when the half-orc made direct eye contact with Beau.

She froze. She assessed the situation. She wasn’t in the mood for a confrontation given her tired legs. There was enough distance between them that if they began to advance on her, she could get a headstart back the way she had come. She quickly finished her bacon. It would be really embarrassing if she choked on bacon while also running from a fight.

“Hey!” The man yelled, waving his hand towards her. “Do you know this area well? I just want to check that we’re going the right way!”

Beau focused in on his words, his accent foreign-sounding to her ears. She tried to detect his sincerity or lack thereof. If he was trying to trick her into believing they were just confused travelers, he was succeeding. 

“Where are you headed?” She yelled back, taking a few steps forward but still wary.

“The Soltryce Academy! You heard of it?”

Beau thought for a moment, trying to recall any information she knew of the Soltryce Academy.

“It’s in Rexxentrum!” The tiefling woman yelled.

Beau felt like her heart stopped, like her breath left her lungs. She _knew_ that voice. It was a little deeper (if possible) than the last time she’d heard it, but she’d know it anywhere. _Jester_.

“You okay over there?” The man asked.

Beau was still processing, unable to respond.

“Uhh, if it’s alright with you, we’re gonna approach,” he said, raising his arms to show he was weaponless.

Jester and the half-orc man walked back towards Beau slowly. When they were around thirty feet away from Beau, Jester stopped in her tracks. The half-orc kept walking a few paces before he realized Jester wasn’t beside him.

“Jester? You okay?” He asked. 

When she didn’t say anything, he looked between the two women. 

“Okay. Something’s happening here,” he continued. “I’m not quite sure what that thing is, but I’m curious to find out.”

A tense moment of silence passed.

“Fjord, tell me I’m dreaming,” Jester said.

The man, _Fjord_ , frowned. “Pretty sure you’re not dreaming, but what do I know?” 

“Is that really you, Beau?” Jester asked softly.

Beau nodded.

A small smile crossed Jester’s face and she walked briskly towards Beau, passing a confused Fjord. When she reached her, she pulled Beau into a hug (still as strong as ever).

Beau didn’t know what to do with her arms. They raised slightly but didn’t wrap around the other girl. They were hesitant and on-guard just as Beau was.

When Jester pulled back, Beau regretted not being able to hug her back. She could see a flash of sadness in Jester’s eyes before she forced a smile back on her face.

“I told you we’d see each other again!” Jester exclaimed.

This time, Beau gave a small smile back—an unnatural mannerism for her. 

“I don’t mean to intrude, but would someone please enlighten me on what’s happening here? You two know each other?” Fjord asked.

Not taking her eyes off of Beau, Jester replied, “Fjord, this is Beau. We met when we were very young.”

Fjord ambled forward until he was shoulder to shoulder with Jester. He stretched out his hand. 

“Beau, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Beau analyzed him. Although he was smaller than other half-orcs she had seen, Fjord was lean. He had short hair on the top of his head with the sides shaved—just like she did, but he had a splash of light grey in his. He also had some intense scars on his face and cat-like eyes that were jarring at first glance. Even for someone uninclined on men, Beau had to admit he was handsome.

Beau shook his hand. “It’s _Beauregard_.” 

Fjord seemed to get the clue. “Why don’t I go take a seat over there, and you two can catch up?”

“That would be lovely,” Beau answered sarcastically.

He obliged.

When he was out of earshot, Jester spoke again.

“Why don’t we go sit down… talk when we’re not standing in the middle of the road?” 

Beau held an arm out, motioning for Jester to go first.

The two of them made their way towards the side of the road and sat down leaving several feet of space between them. 

“It’s been what… eleven, twelve years since we last saw each other?” Beau said, trying to conceal all of the emotions that were bubbling up at the moment.

“Twelve. It’s been _twelve_ years, Beau.”

Beau felt a pang of guilt for her faux nonchalance. 

“Right. Twelve years. What have you been up to since we last saw each other?”

Even as the words came out of her mouth, Beau regretted each and every one of them. She felt angry with herself for not being able to find the right ones to say.

“Oh, um,” Jester began. “I became a cleric, I left home, I met Fjord, and now I’m here, I guess.”

Beau didn’t know what to say next. She knew all the questions she wanted to ask, but she also didn’t want questions coming her way.

“A cleric, huh? I guess magic is pretty cool.”

Jester nodded. “It is. The Traveler has been teaching me some pretty cool tricks.”

She then held up her hand, pointing it away from them and a radiant flame burst from it, singeing the ground in front of them. 

Beau couldn’t control herself as a small smile crossed her face.

“ _Very_ cool,” she admitted.

“What about you?” Jester asked.

“Oh you know, the usual. Shitty family stuff, trained to be a monk for a while, more shitty family stuff, then left the monks…”

“I’ve never met a monk before.”

“Now you have.”

The two looked at one another. Beau could just see that Jester wanted to say more—to get past the small talk. Her eyes were practically screaming it. But she didn’t.

“Fjord and I are heading towards the Soltryce Academy as he said earlier. We’re going to try to get him enrolled there so he can learn magic. If you want, you can come with us,” Jester said.

Maybe it wasn’t the right time, Beau thought. Maybe it wasn’t the right time to talk about the unspoken stuff yet. Maybe that’s why Jester didn’t say anything. 

“If that’s alright with him,” Beau heard herself say as if she cared what he thought.

Jester smiled and leaned in slightly. “To be honest, it might be good to have another fighter. Fjord is great but he could use some more protection if you know what I’m saying.”

Beau allowed herself half a chuckle. She didn’t want to give away how good it felt that Jester had tried to make her laugh. 

“Oh, um. You never confirmed we were headed in the right direction,” Jester reminded her.

“Right, yeah, you were. Rexxentrum’s up north.”

“Alright then, let’s go! Don’t want to keep the Academy waiting.”

The two stood and Jester gestured towards Fjord to let him know to join them. Then, all three of them continued on their journey along the long Amber Road.

* * *

Credit to him, Fjord seemed to understand that it might be best if he lingered a bit ahead. Beau and Jester trailed a few paces behind him, still with a comfortable distance between them. As they walked, Beau imagined about a dozen different conversations she could be having with Jester if she weren’t terrified of starting it. 

She imagined Jester being furious for never returning to the coast—coincidentally, it wouldn’t be the first time she would leave a girl behind. She imagined Jester breaking down in tears; Beau wouldn’t know how to handle that. She even imagined scenarios in which they fought, physically; Beau wondered whether she’d even fight back.

The sun began to dip in the sky making the warm whether begin to cross into mildly uncomfortable. Every so often, Beau would glance over at Jester, but the girl was good at concealing whatever it was she was feeling. Beau wondered if Jester was trying to read her as well.

  
They ended up taking a little break in the shade to refuel. Jester seemed to only have donuts in her pack. Suspiciously, Fjord offered Beau some of his rations. Now wanting to owe him anything, she brusquely declined, opting instead for her dwindling stash of leftover bacon.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Fjord started, “where are you from, Beauregard?”

_This guy does not quit,_ Beau thought. 

“It’s a bit of a long story. Where are _you_ from?”

Fjord exchanged glances with Jester and Beau couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy. 

“The Menagerie Coast, like Jester.”

“The Coast? Like Nicodranas?” Beau asked.

Again, Fjord cast a glance towards Jester, but this time, Jester avoided his glance.

“No, north of there, up in Port Damali.”

Beau searched her memory for what she knew of Port Damali. She could picture it on a map of the coast but no real information about it came to mind.

“And where did you two meet?” Beau asked, keeping her eyes on Fjord.

“Near there,” Jester cut in, “a few miles south.”

Beau nodded and stood, disinterested with hearing more of Jester and Fjord’s shared travels. 

“We should get going,” she said, and then walked away.

* * *

This time, Beau was leading as Fjord and Jester walked a few paces behind. They were whispering, but Beau was stellar at eavesdropping.

“— Don’t know what your deal is, Jester,” Fjord said. “Obviously something happened. I don’t see why you can’t just work it out.”

“It’s fine, Fjord. It’s just a little awkward, that’s all.”

“Jester, I _know_ you. You don’t do awkward.”

Beau felt another twinge of jealousy. How _long_ had he known her for? How intimately?

“What do you want me to do Fjord? I already talked to her.”

“I know, I know, but things don’t seem to be worked out is all I’m saying.” 

“Well, maybe you’re just seeing things wrong.”

Even though it was terrible, Beau felt glad that she hadn’t told him anything. She hoped he wouldn’t be able to convince her otherwise.

* * *

When the sun was just beginning to touch the horizon when they arrived in Trostenwald, a small farming town along the road. The three of them had agreed to rest there for the night and began looking around for an inn when they heard a commotion. Jester had insisted that Beau and Fjord follow her in the direction of it and they both followed.

“Please! Please!” A man cried out as they approached.

“What happened? How can we help?” Jester asked.

The man, who seemed about middle-aged and had a distinguished beard, pointed in the direction of a large dark mass that was wriggling violently—no, not wriggling—slithering away.

“It took my daughter. I turned my back for a second and she was gone! Please save her, she—”

Jester took his hands. “Stay here. We’ll go get her.”

Beau nearly protested at the idea of going to fight some giant slithering monster snake-thing, but Jester took off, Fjord taking off too. Beau sure as hell wasn’t going to stick with the distressed father.

When they arrived, Fjord began to call out commands, telling Beau and Jester to surround it. Jester repeatedly told them to do whatever they could not to injure the girl as they attacked.

It took a while, and Beau nearly died in the process, but eventually, between the three of them, they were able to kill the giant snake. Beau and Fjord were able to fend off the beast long enough for Jester to get the girl away from the danger. Then when Jester had returned, the three of them killed the thing and took a breather. 

“Beau,” Jester said, approaching. “Let me heal you up a little.”

Beau tried to wave her off. “It’s all good, I’ve been in rougher tumbles.

“You were unconscious for a second there. Also, you still look a little green from the poison.”

Beau sighed, conceding, and Jester sat down next to her. The cleric raised her hands towards Beau but stopped, hesitating.

“If I touch you, am I going to get a punch in the face?”

Beau smirked. “I don’t know… I got mad reflexes.”

A small blush tinted Jester’s blue complexion. She tentatively placed her hands on Beau’s shoulder and arm and began to focus, muttering the words of the spell. Beau watched as a faint glow lit up under Jester’s hands and instantly, she could feel some of the pain and queasiness she’d felt earlier subside. 

“Thank you, Jester,” Beau said quietly, dropping any pretense she’d had for just a second.

Jester looked up. “No problem, Beau.”

Beau could feel the intensity of Jester’s stare and tried to match it, but her eyes began to slowly, unwillingly drift towards lips she shouldn't have been tempted by. For the first time since Beau had met Fjord, she was glad when he ambled over.

“Ahem, I think we should get the girl back to her father.”

Beau and Jester quickly stood up, gathering themselves.

“Yes!” Jester exclaimed. “And then we can get dinner and go to bed!”

Jester quickly walked away, grabbing the little girl’s hand and beginning the trek back in the direction they’d come from.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt anything,” Fjord said to Beau. “I just didn’t want the young’un to be away from her old man for too long."

If Beau wasn't mistaken, there was something in Fjord's voice that made her think there was more to what he'd said than the base meaning. She wasn't curious enough to find out.

"It's fine. Let's go back."

* * *

Beau and Fjord arrived a few moments after Jester and the man's daughter had arrived.

"Oh my goodness! Thank you so much for saving her," the father said.

"We were more than happy to help," Fjord said. 

The man looked around. Beau noticed a building behind him that was less than ideal shape. 

"I'd offer you everything to pay you back for this service, but I'm afraid I have nothing. Is there anything I can do for you instead? Some kind of service to pay you back?"

Beau was about to complain but Fjord shook his head. 

"You know sir, I think the only thing we need from you is your name which, pardon my manners, I should have asked you for earlier."

The man’s jaw dropped a little. "Rinaldo. My name is Rinaldo."

Fjord reached out and shook his hand. "Well, Rinaldo, we'll be in town for the night if you need anything. My name's Fjord. That's Jester, and that's Beauregard."

Rinaldo, still looking shocked, shook Jester and Beau's hands.

"Oh! We could also use the name of a good inn if you happen to know of one," Jester said.

Rinaldo thought for a second. "The Nestled Nook Inn."

Fjord clapped him on the shoulder. "Sounds wonderful. Thank you, sir. We should be off now." 

Rinaldo just nodded and Beau, Jester, and Fjord took the break in conversation to part ways with him and his daughter. They eventually found the inn and ordered dinner. 

When they'd eaten as much as they could, Fjord announced that he was exhausted and went towards the stairs leading towards the rooms they had rented. He made sure to give Beau the slightest nod as he made his way over.

An awkward silence fell between Beau and Jester. Beau took a few sips from her ale. She hoped it would help the right words finally come out. Jester beat her to the punch.

"You were amazing today, Beau," she said. "You just went in with no fear, even when you were beat to shit. That's pretty cool."

Beau smiled, genuinely. "You were pretty amazing too, Jester. Those spells you got are badass." 

A moment passed. Beau continued to nurse her drink.

Jester cleared her throat. "Okay. Um, I'm just going to say it, alright?" 

Beau looked up, unsure of how to answer. She braced herself.

"You left Nicodranas… you left _me_ ," she whispered. "I waited. I thought… I don't know… that maybe someday you might show up outside the Chateau again. You promised." 

Jester's voice was so quiet and the way it quivered made it seem like it might break. Beau had braced herself but the floodgates that had held back all of her guilt and self-hatred seemed to burst open. She took a long swig and kept her eyes on her drink.

"I know, Jester. I don't know what to say." 

Beau mentally chided herself. Why couldn't she just say sorry to her? Why didn't her words work right?

"It was more than that, though. I think you know that, right? I more than just missed you."

God, it was like a cavern was being dug into Beau's chest. 

"I know." 

"I loved you, Beau. I know we had only known each other for a little while but… I know it wasn't just me."

Beau forced herself to look up at Jester. Mistake. Seeing how sad Jester was worse than the poison that had been in Beau's system earlier.

"It wasn't just you. Life got crazy. My dad, he—"

"Excuses, Beau, really?" 

"I told you, I don't know what else to say!" 

Beau could feel the walls begin to go back up as she went on the defense.

"How about, I don't know, 'I'm sorry for leaving you alone in Nicodranas after promising I'd come back'?" Jester questioned, her voice rising.

"I'm not apologizing for not following through on an empty promise! You should know I was lying when I said that," Beau shot back.

Again, Beau regretted what she had said. She watched tears well up in Jester's eyes and the tiefling woman abruptly stood and ran out of the inn.

Beau chased after her. She heard screaming from the barkeep but she ignored it. In the dark, she couldn't really see, but she could hear Jester's distinct footsteps. Eventually, Jester slowed down when she reached the edge of the town and Beau caught up, both of them breathing heavily.

"I'm sorry, Jester. You're right," Beau said. "I should have kept my promise no matter whether I was lying or not. I should have gone back. You're right, and I'm sorry."

Jester wouldn't look at her. "I didn't miss you forever, you know. I wasn't sitting there watching and waiting forever. I had the Traveler. He was there for me when you weren't. He made me happy when you broke my heart."

_Ouch_.

"I didn't mean to break it," Beau said. "If it means anything to you, the memory of us is the only thing that kept me sane when I was sent away and forced to join the Cobalt Soul." 

Jester looked up at her. "You were forced into the Cobalt Soul?"

"Uhh, yeah… I did some bad shit and my father… he thought it would discipline me."

"Oh."

A quiet moment passed and Beau tried to find the courage to keep talking.

"I… I acted out because I was lonely too. Crime helped me find friends, or at least people to kick the shit with. I did keep the first part of my promise though, I never forgot about you."

"I never forgot about you either," Jester whispered.

"I think… I think that I'm all fucked up now, because of everything that’s happened since we last saw each other. That's why I couldn't say the right damn words. That's why I got all defensive and why I was being an asshole to Fjord."

Surprisingly, Jester giggled softly.

"Fjord can handle it. He's been through some shit too."

Beau remembered earlier, of Fjord being very inclined on getting Rinaldo's daughter back to him. Jester's comment made her feel worse for dismissing it.

"Guess I should probably apologize to him too then, huh."

Jester nodded. "I don't think you're fucked up, Beau."

"You don't?"

  
"Nah." 

"Even when I was a complete asshole to you and Fjord?"

"You can be an asshole and not be fucked up." 

"Can you?"

"Yeah, trust me on that." 

Beau wondered what would have given Jester that specific bit of wisdom, but she didn't prod.

"I did… love you," Beau managed. "I didn't know what it was then but hindsight… hindsight makes everything crystal clear."

Jester smiled. "You know you were my very first kiss, Beau?" 

"You were mine, too."

The two of them locked eyes and Beau no longer felt scared. After hours of traveling and feeling tense, she felt herself relax a little. Maybe the alcohol was helping a little too. 

"I still need to get Fjord to the Academy," Jester said. "Maybe on the way… you and I could get to know each other again?"

"I'd love that."

Jester grabbed her hand and Beau subconsciously held her breath at the old familiar feeling. Then Jester led the two of them back to the Nestled Nook Inn, paying the angry barkeep as they passed by, up the stairs, and towards their rooms, stopping outside.

"You know, there are two beds per room. Someone might desperately need a place to stay tonight," Jester said.

"Oh yeah? Well then maybe we should do them the kindness of freeing it up."

Jester giggled. "I like the way you think, Beau." She then pushed open the door to her room and entered, Beau following.

* * *

It had been twelve years since Beau had met the young Jester Lavorre and as she sat in the silence of the Nestled Nook Inn, the tiefling woman sleeping soundly in the bed across from her, Beau found herself in a sense of relative peace as she waited for sleep to take her. Maybe it was the serendipitous meeting of Jester and Fjord, the good meal in her stomach, the fact that she now had a direction to head in, or a combination of all three, but for the first time in a long time, Beau felt like something wonderful was about to begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading this far! hope you liked it :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks all for reading. I'll have the next chapter (which will be a time jump to the session zero stuff) up soon if you're interested.
> 
> This is my first so be gentle. :)


End file.
